Metal railroad tie



R. T. BURDETTE.

METAL RAILROAD TIE.

APPLICATION FILED 05cm. I921.

1,41 6 ,686, Patented May 23, 1922..

2 SHEETS,SHEET I.

dfjf. 3435 ,81 5

METAL RAILROAD TIE.

Application filed December 9, 1921.

Toall whom it may concern Be it known that I, Ronnn'r T. Bonnn'rrn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Railroad Ties, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to railroad ties and contemplates an improved metal tie which provides a suitably cushioned seat for the rail and at the same time serves to hold the rail firmly against movement in all directions. The object of the invention is to provide a metal tie which may be employed as a substitute for the wooden ties now in service, having in mind the electric insulation of the rails and the deadening of shocks and noise by the use of wood, but serving much more effectively to prevent loosening of the rail, longitudinal creeping, tipping and spread- 1n In the accompanying drawings Fig. l is a side elevation of the preferred form of the improved tie, the two rails of the track and the surrounding ballast being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tie and rails shown in Fig. 1, the ballast being omitted;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-43 of Fig. 1.;

I Fig. 4c is a detail sectional view taken on the line ls-i of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 1, but illustrates the manner of adapting the tie for supporting a smaller rail.

In carrying out the invention in the form selected for illustration an integral metal casting, generally designated 10, is preferably provided. This casting may be of about the same length with reference to the width of the track as is now customary with wooden ties. In order that it may present about the same horizontal width and vertical depth to the ballast 11, as the ordinary wooden tie, without being of undue weight, the casting 10 is preferably of inverted T-shape throughout the greater portion of its length and comprises the horizontal foot flange 12 and vertical web 18. These parts are of the minimum thickness consistent with procuring the required strength and the production of a satisfactory structure from the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 119.22. Serial in). 521,199.

material selected, which may be cast steel, malleable iron or the like.

In line with each of the rails, as l i, 15. thecasting 10 is formed with a rail seat or chair portion 16, preferably equal in width with the foot flange 12 throughout the full depth of the casting. Each chair 1G is, in turn, formed with a transverse upwardly facing recess 11?, preferably slightly greater in width than the full width of the foot flange 18 of the largest rail, as 1-l-, with which the tie is intended to be used. The floor 19 of the recess 17 accordingly presents a broad flat surface equal in width and length to the full widths of the rail and tie respectively. However, to insure proper insulation of the rails, as 1st, 15, from each other and to avoid direct contact of the foot flange of the rail with a metallic surface, the foot flange of the rail is not seated directly upon the floor 19, of the recess 17, but a pair of mating broad flat wooden wedges, as 20, 21, are interposed between these parts.

The wooden wedges 20 and 21 also serve for forcing the foot flange 18 of the rail upwardly against blocks, as 22, 23, which project inwardly over the same from the opposite side walls-of the recess 17. To facilitate laying the track, the blocks 22, 23, are preferably both removable and they are introduced after the foot flange 18 of the rail has been seated upon the wedges 20, 21, with the wedges in their most retracted positions. 7 As shown, the two blocks 22 and 23, are of like shape and each comprises a vertically elongated base portion 2i and an intermediate laterally projecting portion the latter presenting a downward'ly facing inclined shoulder 26, substantially confori'i'iing to the inclination or bevel of the adjacent upper surface of the foot flange, as 18, of the rail. Similarly, the base portion 2st of each block 22, 23, is preferably formed to present a forwardly facing beveled surface 27 extending below the shoulder 26. it follows that as the foot flange 18 of the rail is forced upwardly against the shoulders 26 of the two blocks 22, 23, (Fig. i), it is guided by the engagement of its opposite edges with the beveled surfaces 27 of the blocks. llach rail is thereby accurately centered in the corresponding recess 17 of the tie and is firmly held against lateral movement. The fastening of the rails at the proper distance from end.

each other to maintain the gage of track de sired is accordingly insured without measurement. To avoid direct contact between the metallic blocks 22, 23 and the rail, a shim 28 of a hard insulating material is desirably introduced between the shoulder 26 and beveled surface 27 of each block and the adjacent part of the rail.

The blocks 22, 23, may be removably held in place in any convenient manner designer to effectively resist the upward thrust upon the shoulders 26. As shown, the side walls of the recess 17 are each formed with a vertical socket 29 which is closed at its upper Each socket 29 accordingly serves to receive the base portion 2 1- of the correspond ing block 22 or 23, and the said upward thrust is received by the closed top wall, as 30, of the socket. To prevent accidental outward displacement of the upper end of the block, the said top wall 30 may be formed with an overhanging flange 31, but the pressure exerted by the upper end of the block 22, or 23, upon the walls of the socket will normally be inward rather than outward. Preferably the vertical height of the blocks 22, 23, is so proportioned with respect to the depth of the recess 17 and of the overhanging flange 31 that the base portion 2 1 of each block may be readily entered in the corresponding socket 29 under the flange 31 when the rail is in place upon the retracted wedges, as 20, 21. The initial advance of the wedges then serves to raise the blocks 22, 23, in the sockets 29 until the upper ends of the blocks are engaged with the closed upper ends ofthe sockets behind the overhanging flanges 31.

As the two wedges, 20, 21, of each set are preferably of like taper and entered from opposite sides of the tie (Fig. 3) the upper surface of the upper wedges, as 21, is at all times parallel with the floor 19 of the recess l7 and provides a flat horizontal seat for the underside of the rail. Furthermore, as the full weight of the rail and traffic is received upon the wedges 20, 21, the compression of these wooden wedges .may be relied upon to provide a lock for securing the wedges in place. For this purpose each of the wedges and the floor 19 of the recess 17 are apertured at intervals, as 32, 33, and at (Fig. 1). Since compression of the wooden wedges in line with these apertures will not occur, each wedge will protrude slightly into the apertures of the adjacent wedge or floor plate, as at 35, forming a lock to prevent movement of the wedge.

As the rails, as 14, 15, should be support ed clear of the ballast, each recess 17 is preferably of no greater depth than is necessary to permit the use of blocks 22, 23, of suitable strength and to provide satisfactory supports therefor in the side walls of the recess. To avoid unnecessary weight in the chair portions 16 of the tie, that part of the casting 10 which extends under and supports the floor 19 0f each recess 17 may be divided into a plurality of upright webs 36 separated by transverse openings 37.

Since the rail engages only the wedges, as 20, 21, and the blocks 22, 23, or shims 2S, rails of different weights may be interchangeably used upon the same ties by a proper selection of wedges and blocks. Thus, in Fig. 5, is shown a rail 38 having its foot flange 39 of substantially less width than the width of the recess 17. In this case blocks :10, and ll, identical with the blocks 22, 23, but of greater width in their intermediate and lower end portions, are used. Likewise, the wedges, as 12, 13, are of less Width'than the wedges 20, 21, but substantially conform in width with the foot flange 39 of the rail.

I claim as my invention 1. Railway track construction comprising, in combination, a metal tie having at each end an upwardly facing transverse socket with overhanging side walls, rails having foot flanges seated in the sockets, removable blocks entered between the overhanging side walls of the sockets and the foot flanges of the rails, and wedge means acting between the floor of each socket and the bottom of the corresponding rail.

2. Railway track construction comprising, in combination, a metal tie having at each end an upwardly facing transverse socket with overhanging side walls, rails having foot flanges seated in the sockets, removable blocks entered between the overhanging side walls of the sockets and the foot flanges of the rails, each block having a tapered stem extending downwardly from the body of the block between the side edge of the rail and the side wall of the socket, and wedge means acting between the floor of each socket and the bottom of the corresponding rail.

3. In combination, a metal tie having at each end an upwardly facing flat seat of a width as great as the bottom of the rail and blocks constructed to withstand upward pressure overhanging each seat from opposite sides thereof, the block at one side of each seat being removable, and mating wooden wedges coacting with each seat to support the rail and urge the same upwardly against the said overhanging blocks.

4. Railway track construction comprising, in combination, a metal tie having at each end thereof an upwardly facing rail seat and projections overhanging each rail seat from opposite sides thereof and wooden wedges reacting between the bottom of each rail and the floor of the corresponding rail seat, one of the parts with which the face of the wooden wedge cooperates being apertured to permit relative expansion of the cor responding part of the wooden wedge into the aperture.

5. In combination, a metal tie having an support the rail and urge the same upwardly upwardly facing flat seat of a width as great against the projecting blocks. as the bottom of the rail and blocks con- 7. A rail support having an upwardly facstructed to withstand upward pressure overing fiat seat of a width as great as the bothanging the said seat from opposite sides tom of the rail, laterally recessed upright 25 thereof, the block at one side of the seat bewalls rising at opposite sides of the said seat, ing removable, and wedge means coacting the distance between the walls being as great with the said seat to support the rail and at all points as the width of the said seat and urge the same upwardly against the overeach wall recess being closed at its upper hanging blocks. end, blocks removably entering the wall re- 30 6. A rail support having an upwardly faccesses, each block having an intermediate ing fiat seat of a width as great as the bottom projecting portion extending over the said of the rail, laterally recessed upright walls seat and a tapered stem presenting an in rising at opposite sides of the seat, the diswardly and upwardly inclined beveled face tance between the said walls being as great below the said projecting portion, and wedge 35 at all points as the width of the said seat and means coacting with the said seat to support each wall recess being closed at its upper the rail and urge the same upwardly against end, blocks removably entering the wall rethe beveled faces and projecting portions of cesses and projecting over the said seat, and the said blocks.

wedge means coacting with the said seat to ROBERT T. BUR-DETTE. 

